Long-term effects of lithium carbonate on serum protein bound iodine in affective disorders

Abstract

1. 1. Seventy five manic depressive patients were placed on lithium carbonate 300 mg t.i.d. Excluded from the study were patients on hormone therapy or with known renal, cardiovascular, thyroid or other endocrine disorders, and females who were or might become pregnant. 2. 2. Pretreatment protein bound iodine (PBI) were available on 56 patients and all patients returned for PBI every three months. The mean PBI of 56 patients dropped from 6.3 ± 0.3 μg% at pretreatment to 5.7 ± 0.3 μg% (p < 0.05) at the end of a mean of 12.2 ± 1.5 months. The mean PBI of 75 patients dropped from the first available mean of 6.5 ± 0.3 μg% at 2.6 ± 0.7 months to 5.9 ± 0.2 μg% at the final mean of 15.8 ± 1.5 months (p < 0.01). 3. 3. Analysis of the mean change in PBI from pretreatment to the average of all values for each patient during each succeeding year showed a downward trend. The four patients who continued into the fourth year showed mean drop of 2.2 ± 0.6 μg% (p < 0.05). Analysis of mean change in PBI from pretreatment to six months for subgroups lasting different lengths of time on the study showed a downward trend correlated to length of time on the study. Eleven patients who continued beyond three years showed a mean drop of 1.5 ± 0.4 μg% (p<0.05).